Remember to Breathe
by jyj
Summary: SHIKAINO: "he’s scared that if you stop talking, he won’t ever be able to hear your voice again.”


{ **remember to breathe**  
by: orenjiismile

because shikaino is (in) love and  
terminal illnesses are srs bzns. }

- - -

"Oh don't be silly." Ino says defiantly, brushing golden hair out of her eyes, "I'm not going to die."

"No," Shikamaru responds, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair by her bed. "No, I reckon not."

"Glad you agree." Ino laughs, really laughs. "Because if I did, you'd have no one to clean your kunai for you."

- - -

"You know, my nails are getting really long. Sakura says I should paint them a brilliant shade of yellow, but I have this urge to paint them hot pink, what do you think Shika?" Ino inquires, glancing at her team-mate before reaching over for the magazine she had placed on her night table.

"I think you should get some rest." Shikamaru frowns as coughs wreak havoc upon Ino's body. He stands up and gently pushes her back down into her pillow. He tugs the covers all the way up to her chin and tucks them around her. "Get better soon; it's so troublesome to come visit you everyday."

Despite the coughs, a large smile flits across Ino's features, "Whatever you loser. You need to learn to get off your lazy ass and clean your own damned kunai anyway."

- - -

"It hurts to talk," Ino whispers, voice hoarse. She looks a little too pale, a little too thin, and her cheekbones are jutting out in an unnatural way. "Hurts to move too." Ino rasps, before she coughs.

"Ino, do you still want hot pink nails?" Shikamaru asks, trying to hide the panic in his voice.

Ino laughs melt away into violent coughs and she manages to nod before pointing to the bottle on her dresser table.

He grabs the nail polish and reaches for her small, pale hand. He opens the bottle, dips the brush in and does his best to paint the slender nail of her thumb. Ino coughs and he ends up painting half her thumb hot pink.

Ino giggles, coughs and watches Shikamaru paint the rest of her fingernails intently. He gets much better as he moves from her ring finger and onto her pinkie; after all, he is a genius.

"Give me your other hand." Shikamaru instructs, placing her right hand down on the bed and taking her left hand.

"Shikamaru," Ino whispers, "Bring your kunai tomorrow okay? I'll clean them." She forces the sentence out before she starts wheezing again.

By the time Shikamaru is finished Ino's pinkie, she's asleep, thick blonde hair fanned out around her, like a halo.

- - -

The next time Shikamaru arrives by Ino's bedside, she can no longer talk. She merely waves cheerfully at him and opens her hand and wriggles her fingers.

He sits down in his usual seat and hands her his Kunai.

"Ino, how are you feeling today?" Shikamaru inquires. It was too quiet for comfort without her usual animated chatter and peals of laughter. He tugs apprehensively at the collar of his shirt, "Does it still hurt to move?"

Ino shrugs and begins to clean Shikamaru's kunai. She's halfway done with the first one, before she slips into a coughing fit. She coughs blood onto the bed and onto his shirt.

"Ino! Stay here; I'll go get your parents!" Shikamaru hisses, rushing out of the room and down the stairs.

Ino merely wipes the blood from her mouth and picks up the kunai, towel in hand.

- - -

"Ino!" Chouji exclaims, as he heads over to the bed and smiles widely at the girl. "Hey Ino, how are you doing today?"

Ino smiles brightly and scrawls something onto the notebook lying in her hands. Chouji tries not to notice the slight tremble in her hand as she writes.

_Meh, could be better. Where's grouchypants?_

Chouji tries not to notice how Ino's characters have become more erratic and less controllable. "He can't come today, he's on a mission." Chouji replies, sending the girl a sympathetic look. "But that's okay; you have me to talk to!"

Ino beams.

"Ino," Chouji bites his lip, "Ino. Hold on okay? You'll get better."

Ino smiles. _Of course._ She writes.

_Of course_.

"Ino, please, get better! Please start training with us again! Please start talking again!" Chouji whispers, averting his gaze so she doesn't catch site of the tears clinging onto his eyelashes. "He's scared that if you stop talking, he won't ever be able to hear your voice again."

"Chouji…" Ino's voice is so quiet, Chouji nearly misses it. He leans down close, hope searing through his body.

"Yes?"

"I'm scared too." Ino says, tears welling up in her eyes.

- - -

_You came._ Ino shoves the notepad in Shikamaru's face as soon as he enters the room.

"Why wouldn't I? No matter how troublesome it is, you're still my team-mate." Shikamaru huffs, settling down on the chair. "How are you today?"

Ino's too weak to write anything more on the notepad so she just smiles.

"Stay strong." Shikamaru mutters, willing his voice not to break.

Ino rolls her eyes.

"I'm serious!" Shikamaru grumbles.

Ino motions towards her dresser drawer. Shikamaru opens the top drawer. There lying neatly in the drawer was his kunai, all cleaned and polished.

"Thanks." He says, gingerly picking them up. He lays them on his lap. "Thanks Ino."

Ino smirks.

He snorts as her cockiness. "Yes, yes I know, I should clean my own kunai. But I don't need to because I have you." He says, staring right at her. "I have you now and I'll have you forever."

Ino coughs before in a tiny shaky voice she responds, "Don't cheat on me with Temari."

"I won't, because you're not going anywhere." Shikamaru's worried now, his heart flutters when Ino shakes her head.

"Ino." Shikamaru says, "Ino."

With a trembling hand, she pulls hard at his shirt and he falls, he instinctively places his hands out in front of him, one on each side of her head, and catches himself just in time.

Ino grins maliciously at him before pointing to her cheek and making a kissy face.

Shikamaru groans before making a face, "Do I have to?"

Ino nods furiously.

"Fine." He mumbles something under his breath and kisses her cheek. Just as he's pulling away, Ino grabs him by the front of his shirt and pulls him down again, kissing him hard on the mouth.

Shikamaru thinks he must look like he has a sunburn, because he's red and flushed all over.

Ino grins smugly at Shikamaru.

"Remember to Breathe." Ino whispers, just as he's leaving.

- - -

There's no tomorrow for Ino.

He's furious at her, he decides, as he throws kunai after kunai at the tree.

When he's finished imbedding the trees with angry marks, he collapses onto the grass, panting heavily. He's dizzy and sore all over, and he can't seem to get enough oxygen into his lungs because he's crying so hard.

"_Remember to Breathe_." He hears in his head.

When he breathes, he breathes in all these scents, scents he'll never forget, scents that bring back memories, scents that waft and trap themselves in his heart. But when he loves, he loves only her. And what kills him isn't the fact that one day he won't remember how to breathe; it's the fact somewhere along the way she forgot to take her own advice and _breathe_.

- - -

Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto  
(Dis)Like what you see? ;)  
Leave me a comment & let me know!  
(Apologies for the shitty-ass ending D:)


End file.
